A few days ago, again, 19 children and two teachers were shot dead at their school in the United States. This act of irrational barbarism has once again received the unanimous condemnation of the entire international community. The debate on access to weapons in the United States against the powerful lobby of the National Rifle Association has been legitimately reopened, and the President of the United States himself has expressed his personal and institutional weariness with this situation.
There are many factors that can try to explain why this type of act is regularly repeated and the reasons why violence and hatred continue to be present in our societies.
We live in a world where the force of arms seems to direct the destiny of humanity. Homo sapiens should have drawn lessons from his own history and taken note of scientific advances and the progress of so-called "artificial intelligence." But at the same time, it should be asked where the "human intelligence" is to protect life and guarantee the dignified and fair development of all the world's citizens. Where do these unbalanced fanatics come from? What are the educational games that our children play in their formative teen years? Why do those video games exist where you win when you have killed more people? In our consumer society we are capable of banning tobacco, but unable to limit the use of weapons or the incentives that lead to their use. It is time to ban the sale and use of all such video games.
On the other hand, for more than three months now, weapons have continued to destroy human lives, buildings and infrastructure in Ukraine, forcing more than four million people to seek refuge and protection outside their homes, and to suffer day after day the anguish of a life characterized by the uncertainty of life, both yours and that of your family and loved ones. These images are what we all, including young people, see day after day.
It is time to stop this senseless war, as His Holiness Pope Francis has described it. The balance is already terrifying. We do not know the real death toll on both sides. However, the horror of violence, the desolation of ghostly cities and destroyed buildings, accompany us daily. The main victims of this human madness are the Ukrainian citizens, and to them we must show our full solidarity. Hence the first and only task that we should all undertake is to stop this confrontation.
It is true that we Westerners put the adjective world to the first and second wars of the 20th century. Yes, in a certain sense, these contests were global, but above all they were European. Today, we find ourselves facing another war on European territory, which we have not yet classified as World War III, but which is having direct and indirect consequences on a global scale. The recent Untacd report clearly shows us the impacts that this crisis is having on the supply and price of food products, as well as on energy or finances. The suffering of the “global south” increases day by day as the war in Ukraine drags on. For all these reasons, the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations to address these issues as a matter of urgency are to be commended.
Why international diplomacy has not been able to stop the violation of the Charter of the United Nations? Why is it not possible to reach a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table? It is imperative to stop the weapons and return to the path of peaceful resolution of conflicts. Diplomatic negotiation is not "appeasement." Negotiating is not giving up universal principles and values, of which the main and fairest is peace.
That is why we should create a culture of peace, of values, of respect. This is where the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (Unaoc) must continue to develop its programs both locally and nationally, as well as internationally. Education, youth, migration and rejection of hate are the essential tasks of our projects, but the resources allocated for these objectives are very limited if we compare them with the unacceptable and immeasurable military budgets.
At the international level, Unaoc must be more ambitious in fulfilling its mandate and become an Alliance for Peace. The war in Ukraine must stop and sooner or later they will have to reconcile with each other. For this we would need a world where there are spaces of understanding for all. We are one “one humanity”. Diverse cultures, ethnic groups and civilizations exist and are legitimate. Therefore, the time has come to defend and achieve that we can live together and create a fraternal and human coexistence that makes Homo sapiens feel proud, finally.
